Burying my face in my hands, I muffled the scream I wanted to let out.
My phone buzzed, and I reached for it on the table.
Hunter: Please tell me you’re coming to dinner and then out tonight. Mom said you mentioned not going out. Will you? For me?
With a long sigh, I reached down and played with the little bit of Ben’s hair that was finally growing in. “What do you think, little man? Do I go out tonight with Uncle Hunter and possibly see Aiden?”
A bright smile grew across my son’s face, though I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d mentioned Hunter or Aiden. Possibly both. Then Ben let out an excited laugh.
I felt my cheeks ache with my own wide grin.
Me: Yes, I’m going to dinner and going out. Besides, I can’t waste the dress Bree bought for me.
His reply was almost instant.
Hunter: You just made me very happy. Love you, little sis.
I smiled as a typed back.
Me: I love you too.
Willa
I stood in front of the full-length mirror and stared at my reflection. The dress wasn’t nearly as sexy as the last one Bree had picked out. As a matter of fact, it showed less skin. But something about it seemed to make me feel sexier. It was an older style dress, 1940s, if I had to guess. It was made of satin and chiffon, and it had the most beautiful lacework I’d ever seen. The lace around my breasts left a bit of an opening that dipped so low it was nearly to my belly button. Well, maybe not, but it gave off that effect.
The A-line skirt and tight bodice also made my waist look tiny. Which was something I could appreciate, since I didn’t quite feel like I’d gotten my body back to the way it was before having Ben. Though I was honestly okay with the extra bit of weight I carried. I was comfortable in my own skin.
“Do you not like the dress? I thought the silver-blue would look beautiful on you,” Bree asked as she chewed on her lower lip.
“It’s beautiful,” I said softly, letting my fingers slide down the chiffon fabric of the skirt. I glanced over at Ben who was sitting on a blanket with Lilly as she held up a book and tried to read it to him from memory.
Taking another look at myself, I couldn’t help but feel a bubble of excitement forming in my chest. What would Aiden think when he saw me in this dress?
Lacy huffed. “If my body looked like that, I would totally be rocking that dress.”
Lilly spoke up. “I think you look pwetty, Momma.”
My sister gazed lovingly down at her daughter. “Aw, baby girl, I love you.”
With a sweet smile on her face, Lilly went back to the book and to Ben’s undying attention.
I glanced back over my shoulder, and Bree and I both gawked at my sister.
“You’re pregnant and still rocking that dress, honey,” Bree stated with a hand on her hip.
Nodding, I added, “I agree. You look beautiful. Wait until Connor sees you.”
Lacy rolled her eyes but gave us both an appreciative smile. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my pregnant body. I’m just saying, baby sister, you look amazing.”
I focused back on my image in the mirror. “I have a weird feeling. Like I shouldn’t be going tonight.”
“Don’t say that,” Bree said as she walked up to me and placed her chin on my shoulder. “You’re about to be twenty-eight, Willa. Just because you’ve been married and popped out a baby doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to have a bit of fun. Look at your sister!”
Lacy’s brows furrowed. “Was that a compliment or an insult?”
I giggled. “You’re right. I don’t know why I’m being so weird right now.”
Bree lifted her chin off of my shoulder and winked. “You look like a princess.”
“I feel way overdressed for Brew’s Place,” I said with a sigh.
Bree gestured to her dress and then Lacy’s. “We’re all overdressed for Brew’s Place. But we’re going to the country club for dinner, so we’re using that as an excuse.”
Boggy Creek didn’t have a country club, but the next town up the valley did. Members were mostly wealthy people from Boston who had a second home up here. It was an old country club, founded in 1900 as a place for Boston elite to run off to the country and have a bit of fun without all the gossip. It was always rumored that what happened at the club, stayed at the club. No one I knew in Boggy Creek was a member. Bree was, but she lived in Boston. And it was her idea to go there to celebrate Hunter’s promotion.
“You’re right. We should probably get going,” I said as I looked at both women. “You’re sure Connor didn’t mind you getting ready over here with us?” I asked Lacy.